Retirement Package
by Nocturne of Eclipse
Summary: After a run-in with Team Rocket puts Gary in the hospital, Ash is talked into joining the criminal organization as a spy. He soon learns, however, that it's much more difficult to leave than it is to get in...
1. Prologue: Gary Gets Shot

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any related characters.

Retirement Package

A Pokemon fanfiction by Nocturne of Eclipse.

It had been seven years since Ash had started his pokemon journey. Seven long years, filled with trials, tribulations, and rivals that were all total dicks. It had been several months since he'd left for home from his travels with Pikachu riding reliably on shoulder, and when he'd shown his mother his trophy from the League, she'd been so proud- he was just like his father, she said, always getting stronger, never slowing down until he was sure he would come out on top. He wasn't exactly thrilled by the news, as his father had always been a bit of a sore spot for him, what with the never being home and never calling. In fact, the last time he'd actually seen his father face-to-face was when he was thirteen and the Kanto League got put off due to issues with the Plateau, or something. Honestly, he didn't really care. All that mattered now was that he was home.

His room seemed smaller than he remembered, but as he went in and tossed his bag to the corner, the familiar warmth soothed his travel-weary mind, and he flopped down on his bed. Pikachu grinned and hopped up after him, curling up on his chest. Ash smiled and scratched his little friend behind the ear, just where he liked it.

"You know, Pikachu," he said after a moment in which the two friends were completely silent, "no matter how much fun it is to travel, it's always nice to come home."

"Pika, Pikapi!" the little mouse agreed. He arched his back as Ash petted him, "chaaaaa"ing in delight. It had been such a long time since they had first left Pallet. Ash had grown, now standing at a little under six feet; his black hair was pulled into a small ponytail at the base of his neck, and he had long ago returned to his vintage red League cap. He was a fine young man, people would say, a real talented contender in whichever League he entered. He wasn't exactly famous, but he was still well-known, and he enjoyed it whenever a random bystander asked when his next Gym battle was, so they could go see it.

Pikachu, of course, grew more lean and wirey with every year, and as always, was powerful enough to clear most of a region on his own. Ash was endlessly proud of the electric-type's strength, and he probably bragged a little bit too much, seeing as Jessie, James, and Meowth were still stalking him everywhere he went. It actually got to the point where the two parties worked out a deal- as long as The trio didn't try to ruin Gym or League battles, Ash would let them camp out with him, and share his food. And speaking of food... Ash's stomach growled loudly, soon followed by Pikachu's. The two friends paused and stared at each other before they began laughing.

"I guess we should go find something to eat!" Ash chuckled.

"Pi, pikachu!" Pikachu waited for him to sit up, then scampered up his arm to sit on his shoulder. After making sure the mouse was balanced (there had been some embarrassing and rather funny episodes in which Pikachu had fallen off in recent years), Ash set off, heading down the stairs to the kitchen. He paused upon seeing the door to his mother's room closed, and turned his gaze to Pikachu, holding a finger to his lips. Pikachu nodded, and lowered himself to get a better grip. Ash tiptoed to the fridge, wincing at the suction-y sound as it opened. There were some Lunchables on the bottom shelf, and some fries left over from dinner. He grabbed three of the Lunchables, the fries, and Pikachu's ketchup bottle. Not wanting to risk dropping anything going back up the stairs, the two made their way into the living room and sat down at the coffee table, where Pikachu ignored the fries, popped the top off the ketchup, and began to eat it.

"Hey." Ash tapped Pikachu lightly with a backhand. "We talked about this."

"Pikaaaa...!" Pikachu protested, hugging onto his ketchup.

"I'm not gonna take it away from you, Pikachu, but you can't eat just straight up ketchup, it's bad for you." Pikachu pouted and drowned the fries in ketchup. Ash smiled around his crackers.

It was about then that the doorbell rang, and Ash groaned as he cast a glance in the direction of his mom's room. He stood, leaving Pikachu to his ketchup-y devices and went to open the door. He was surprised, needless to say, when he found an Officer Jenny, Prof. Oak, and a man that looked suspiciously like him on his doorstep.

"Good evening, Mr. Ketchum," Officer Jenny said, "sorry to bother you so late. May we come in?" Ash stared at them all for a second.

"Er- yeah, sure." He stood back and watched them enter, glaring at the final man as he passed, and closed the door behind them.

"Ash, who's visiting at this hour?" Delia came out from her room, yawning, and paused when she saw who it was. "Oh... what's the matter? Did Ash do something illegal?" Ash rolled his eyes.

"No, nothing like that, Delia," Oak laughed. "It's about Team Rocket." Ash's eyes widened.

"Jessie and James?" he asked. "Are they alright?" The third man grinned.

"Worried about those petty thieves, kiddo?" he asked, petting Pikachu. Ash sneered.

"They're my friends," he growled.

Oh, Ash, Red, don't start this again," Delia sighed. "Can't you two get along for once?"

"Hey, I tried the whole father-son bonding thing!" Red protested. "He just doesn't care!"

"Well maybe if you'd been home a little more often, I would!" Ash snapped. Red threw his hands up in exasperation, as if saying "see? see what happens?"

"I'm sorry," Jenny broke in, "but can we return to the task at hand?" Red sighed, and Oak nodded. "Your friends are alright. We have them in a secure area where they will remain under the state's protection."

"You mean you arrested them?" Ash blinked. Say what you will about Team Rocket, but if one thing was certain, they were good at getting away.

"No, they sought us out." At Ash's raised eyebrows, Officer Jenny continued. "It seems as though for the past four years, they've been on the run. They stayed mostly out of Kanto, which is Team Rocket's main sphere of influence- they say if they're caught, they'll be executed." Ash's eyebrows, if possible, rose further.

"...Executed? For what?" He laughed uncomfortably. "They can't do anything that would make them that important to Team Rocket!"

"Maybe not on purpose..." Everyone's attention shifted to Oak; he gazed back at them somberly. "I spent some time talking with them at the safe house. It seems they saw something they weren't supposed to." Ash snorted.

"What would they see within their own organization that would merit this response?" Delia asked quietly. Red glanced at her fleetingly before turning his gaze to the window.

"I think you have an idea, Dels," he murmured. Delia shook her head.

"Those experiments ended with my mother's reign," she sighed. "Giovanni was never much interested in them."

"Giovanni, the leader of the Viridian Gym?" Ash rubbed his temples. "...Mom, are you saying he's...?"

"My brother? The head of Team Rocket?" She smirked. "Yes. But records show I hold many grudges against my brother, so nothing I say could possibly land him in prison." Ash frowned deeply and turned his gaze to Red.

"Did you know about this?" He asked. Red nodded.

"Yeah, pretty much." He smiled. "Our family dynamics are more screwy than a magnemite." Ash sighed. The sad part was, he knew it was true.

"I'm afraid it may be the very experiments you're thinking of, Delia," Oak said. "Jessie and James spoke of odd, illogical Pokemon, and labs they'd never seen in use, before." Delia stared hard at the floor, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Which leads us to why we're here," Officer Jenny added. She directed her gaze to Ash. " Jessie and James also mentioned that you've been fighting Team Rocket for seven years- your track record with them is quite amazing." Ash snorted.

"Fighting them?" He shook his head. "Not hardly. Two of their little groups kept finding me- Jess and James, and then those other two, Biff and Cassidy. I only battled them because they showed up."

_-MEANWHILE, IN A REMOTE LOCATION IN KANTO...-_

Butch paused from collecting the PokeCenter's pokeballs and blinked, confused. Cassidy glanced over at him when she heard him stop.

"Hey, Butch, what's the hold up?" she asked boredly. Butch frowned thoughtfully.

"I'm not sure," he replied, "but I just got the strangest urge to say 'th' name's _BUTCH_'."

"Oh, don't start this again, those twerps are hundreds of miles away. Get back to work." Butch remained frowning for a moment, then shrugged, and returned to stealing the pokemon.

_-BACK IN PALLET...-_

"They mentioned that, as well," Jenny conceded. "However, this is a pretty good advantage for you- there are enough members of Team Rocket that know you who can vouch for your skill, but not enough to ruin you." Delia's head snapped up.

"Are you implying what I think you are...?" she asked. When no one said otherwise, she continued. "For Mew's sake, he's a child, not a spy!"

"Delia, if your brother is doing what we think he's doing, we may not have a choice!" Red replied. "Ash is the only trainer we can all agree on that has the ability to pull this off!"

"Before you ship me off somewhere I'll regret, what exactly are we talking about, here...?" Ash asked carefully. "I mean, it sounds like you want me to... well... steal stuff from Team Rocket..."

"Nothing quite that simple, I'm afraid," Oak sighed. "Ash... I'm going to be straight forward with you. We want you to join Team Rocket." Ash immediately began choking on a cracker. Delia pounded his back as he coughed, and once his throat was clear, he spoke.

"Are you insane?" he cried. "You want me to _what_?" Red grinned broadly.

"You heard the man, Ashy," he laughed. "You get to be a spy! Isn't that what you always wanted to be when you were little?"

"No!" Ash replied. "I wanted to be a fucking _artist_!"

"Language," Delia chided lightly. She placed her hand on Ash's. "Honey... I don't like this any more than you do..."

"Then tell them I won't do it!" he said desperately. She silenced him with a somber stare.

"...But if what Professor Oak said is true... then it's very, _very_ important that this happens. I know it sounds frightening..."

"Frightening? _Frightening?_ It's downright _terrifying_!" Ash stood abruptly. "I follow the news, I know the stories! Pokemon Center holdups where trainers die trying to protect their pokemon, assassinations with mysterious notes left behind, the fact that no matter how hard they try, the League just can't find any of their bases!" He glanced around at all of them. "And to top it off, I've been getting in their way since day one- if I get caught, they'd murder me! Did any of you think of that? Do you care?" When no one replied, he let out a frustrated growl and headed for the door. Pikachu sprang off of Red's lap and followed him outside. They slammed the door behind them.

"Pikapi..." Pikachu stared up at him, looking rather concerned.

"Come on, Pikachu...," Ash muttered. He waited for the yellow mouse to climb up onto his shoulder, and he began to walk, not really sure where he was going.

This was insane. They were all insane. As harmless as Jessie and James were, the rest of Team Rocket was ruthless. One wrong move, and they would all be on him like a pack of rabid houndour. He wasn't cut out for spy work, he just wasn't, and he always knew it. When he was little, his father had told him the story of how he'd infiltrated a Rocket base, only to stumble across the creation of a weird, cat-like Pokemon. In retrospect, it was probably Mewtwo, and Ash briefly wondered if Team Rocket was trying to make a second. If that were the case, it would be very beneficial to have someone on the inside who could sabotage the project... but was he really the best option?

He paused by Oak's ranch and leaned on the wooden fence, staring out at the sleeping pokemon and active nocturnal pokemon. He wondered how all of his pokemon were doing- perhaps he'd visit them in the morning. Pikachu scampered off his shoulder to perch on the fence, staring out as well.

"Maybe it's a good idea," Ash finally said. "Maybe I really am the best man for the job."

"Pika, pi pikachu pikachaa," Pikachu replied. He glanced up at Ash and smiled comfortingly. Ash grinned in reply and scratched him behind the ear.

"Yeah, I guess we've worn the uniforms before, haven't we? Duplica sure knew how to make a good costume. And Jess and James have been following us around for Mew knows how long. I'll bet we picked up the spirit of the Rocket sometime along the way." He chuckled. "Mew, if I didn't know us, I'd say we really _were_ insane."

"Pikapi chu pi-!" Pikachu stopped abruptly, mid-sentence, and turned his gaze quickly towards Oak's house, his ears perking up.

"What's up?" Ash asked. "Something wrong, Pikachu?" Pikachu leaped off the fence and dashed towards the house; Ash followed him. As they approached, the first thing he noticed was the door kicked off its hinges. The second were the muddy boot-prints trekking into the house. "Oh, Mew fuck it."

"Hey, who the hell do you think you are? This is my grandfather's lab, dumbass, get the hell out!" came the unmistakable voice of one Gary oak. Ash stopped in his tracks.

"Get out of the way, kid!" came the gruff reply. "Or is this something to risk your life over?" There was the click of metal; Ash's eyes widened.

"Ha, like you could hit me! Look how bad your hand's shaking- you're new at this aren't you?"

"Atlas, put the gun down!" a third voice growled. "Phantom said no guns!" Someone took a step.

"I'm warning you!" the first voice cried, a little panicked. "Stay back!"

"Listen to your partner, Atlas," Gary said sternly. "Put the gun down."

"Atlas-"

"_I SAID STAY BACK!_"

_BANG. _There was a heavy thud; Ash's eyes widened. There was the sounds of scrambling and angry growls as two pairs of footsteps jolted towards the exit. Ash was barely able to see them as they passed, their chests emblazoned with the tell-tale "R". He didn't stand in their way as they fled, and he guessed one of them was in possession of a bird pokemon, as it almost appeared as though he sprouted wings and flew away. The other screamed after him, panicked, and scrambled when he realized his partner wasn't coming back for him.

"Pikapi, Pikakapi!" Pikachu cried, snapping Ash out of his stunned state.

"R-right!" He replied, turning back to the stairs and bolting up them. There was a single light on at the end of the hall. Ash ran into the room and stopped in his tracks, freezing at the sight before him. Gary was doubled over, pressing a hand to the bloody bullet hole in his chest. "Gary! Oh, Mew, _Gary_!" Ash was instantly at his childhood friend's side, moving his hand to check the wound. It wasn't terrible- it seemed that Rocket, Atlas was a terrible shot, and missed his heart completely, though the amount of blood coming from the wound wasn't terrible comforting. Wasting no time, Ash removed his jacket and wadded it up, pressing it to the wound and replacing Gary's hand over it. "Gary, are you with me?"

"Ashy-boy...?" Gary mumbled, grimacing. Ash's lips twitched slightly.

"Not dead, huh? I knew you were stubborn. I'm gonna call an ambulance, alright? Pikachu, can you help him hold this, please?" Pikachu made a face at the blood, but obliged, applying as much pressure to the wound as he could. Ash himself stood and wiped his hand off on his jeans as he fished through his pocket with the other for his SmartGear. He dialed 119 and waited for someone to answer before calmly requesting an ambulance to Professor Oak's house. Once the operator commended him on his calmness in the face of the situation, he hung up and instead dialed his home phone. It was his mother who answered.

"_Hello_?"

"Mom!" Ash cast a quick glance down at Gary. "Mom, I'm at Professor Oak's house, right now. Are he and Officer Jenny still over?"

"_Yes, they are, why? Did something happen_?"

"Yeah," Ash replied. "Gary was shot."

"_WHAT?_" Ash winced as he heard the immediate outbreak of panic on the other end of the line, and continued to listen as Officer Jenny told Oak to go with her in her squad car. After his mother assured him they would be right there, Ash returned to Gary and Pikachu.

"You're gonna be okay, Gary," he said softly. "Your grampa's coming with Officer Jenny, and an ambulance is on its way, alright?" Gary managed a lop-sided smirk.

"When did you get so damn responsible...?" he murmured. He seemed to regret shifting as he spoke, because he immediately gritted his teeth as his face contorted in pain. "Mew damn, getting shot hurts...!"

"Just don't move, Gary, alright?" Slowly, Ash placed a hand on his hair. "Just stay still and try not to aggravate it. Everything's gonna be okay." For once, Gary listened to him, and the three of them sat in silence until they heard the sirens approach. Ash had Pikachu remain with Gary as he rushed down the stairs to meet the paramedics. Oak and Jenny arrived just as they were taking him out to the ambulance. Oak's face was whiter than a reshiram, and he didn't say a word as he climbed in after his grandson. As the vehicle sped off, Officer Jenny turned her attention to Ash.

"You did a good job, Ketchum," she said, smiling. "I'm impressed by how calm you've been able to stay through this." Ash tried to smiled back.

"Thanks, I guess," he replied. "I just did what I had to. Gary's my friend, there's no way I was gonna let him die or anything. So I'm guessing you want my statement, huh?" The officer laughed.

"Somehow, I think you aren't new to this."

"Well, this is the first shooting I've ever had to worry about, but I've given plenty of statements regarding PokeCenter heists." Jenny chuckled again as she checked her watch.

"Well, I can either take your statement now, or we can wait until after Mr. Oak's surgery so Sam can hear, too." Ash paused and thought on that before staring out after the ambulance's blinking lights in the distance.

"It's not a very long statement," he replied quietly. "But I do think I'd like to make sure Gary's alright before I talk about it." Jenny nodded.

"Alright. Shotgun, or you wanna take a ride in the back of the car?" Ash couldn't help but grin.

"If I sit in the back, does that mean you gotta handcuff me?"

"Only if you want me to."

"I think I'll take shotgun." After waiting for Ash to buckle up and get a good grip on Pikachu, Officer Jenny shifted into drive and pulled out into the street, driving off towards the hospital. There was virtually no traffic, considering it was about one in the morning, now, and so it didn't take long for them to arrive, though it seemed Gary and Prof. Oak beat them by about ten minutes. Oak glanced up at them as they entered the waiting room, and offered them a strained smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, which Ash awkwardly returned. He took the seat next to Oak and watched as Pikachu hopped across the small gap to the elderly man's shoulder. Oak petted Pikachu's head gently, and Pikachu seemed content to let the man find comfort in his staticy fur.

"They say he shoulder be okay," the professor said at long last. "They said it missed his heart, and the bleeding isn't terrible, just that he was nearly in shock." He glanced at Ash. "Thank you. Thank you for taking care of him."

"I wish I hadn't had to," Ash sighed. "I wanted to go in and try and stop them, but I was scared I would screw up and he'd get shot anyways..." Oak patted him on the shoulder.

"Either way, you did good." He turned his gaze to Jenny. "Do you know what happened, Officer?" Jenny shook her head.

"No,"she replied, "but Ash was going to give me his statement once Gary came out of surgery."

"It may be a while," Oak said. "They've got to get the bullet out, and it's delicate work." The adults turned a questioning gaze to Ash, who shrugged.

"Alright," he said, "I guess I can tell you now." And he gave them the entire story, how he'd ended up going to Oak's ranch after the little episode at home, and how Pikachu had heard something weird. He had gotten as far as recognizing the duo that ran as members of Team Rocket when he was finally interrupted.

"What did they steal?" Ash blinked.

"I'm sorry?" he asked. Jenny cocked an eyebrow.

"If they were in Sam's house, they must have been after something. Did you see what they stole?" she clarified. Ash thought on that for a moment before shaking his head.

"Unless Professor Oak keeps flying-types in his house, I don't think so. One of them flew away, and the other ran off towards West Wood." Jenny's eyes widened.

"West Wood?" she replied eagerly. "He may be lost in there. Is that the whole story, Ash?" Ash nodded and watched as Jenny began talking excitedly into her walkie-talkie. After getting some of her squad to back her up in coming the West Wood, she excused herself and bolted for the door. Ash and Oak were silent for a while after she left.

"Hope they catch him," Ash murmured after a moment. Oak didn't answer. Ash peered curiously at him. "Do you think they will?"

"I'm not sure," the professor sighed. "It's night time, and from the sounds of it, it was a field agent. He'll have the advantage." He continued to pet Pikachu, who seemed to be falling asleep. "This probably didn't endear you to the idea of spying, did it?" Ash shook his head slowly.

"No offense, but I don't want to end up like Gary," he said dryly. Oak snorted, lips curling in amusement.

"No one ever does, Ash," he said quietly. "No one ever does. But..." He glanced out the window to the darkness pressing in on the building. "I... can't help but shake the feeling that somehow, this was related to what Jessie and James saw. Ash..." There was pain and panic in the professor's eyes, and for once he actually seemed his age. Ash couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. "This time I'm begging you. On behalf of Gary. Ash, please, go through with this- whatever Team Rocket is up to, it needs to end, before anyone else can get hurt." Ash sighed and reached over to scratch Pikachu's ear.

"I don't think it'll be that simple, Professor," he said earnestly, "but... I... guess I can at least try. For Gary's sake." Immediately, Oak grabbed Ash in a tight hug, and no more words were spoken. The time passed silently, and Pikachu fell asleep as the two men eventually found themselves staring out at the gimpy streetlight. Eventually, a nurse called for them, and they followed her to find Gary sleeping peacefully in one of the hospital beds, stitched up and almost good as new. Ash stayed long enough to leave a bar of Gary's favorite chocolate on the bedside table, and bidding Oak goodbye and to let Gary know he would visit him later, left, carrying a sleeping Pikachu home.

His mother was glad to hear that Gary was okay, and his father simply snored, as he was passed out on the couch, his own Pikachu curled up on his chest. Delia sent him to bed before he could get the chance to badmouth Red, and though Ash was certain neither Rocket had seen his face, he still left the light on as he changed into his pajamas and slipped under the covers, placing Pikachu on the pillow, next to his cheek. As he drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but feel a little like he was conned into agreeing to spy for the League.

Mew damn his conscience.

* * *

**Alright, soooooo, first chapter. Whooooo. I got the idea for this one day while I was trying to take a nap in my study period, but this kid on the other side of the room wouldn't shut up. So then I downloaded an app for my phone and started writing it. I've been wanting to do something focused more on the anime characters for a long time, and yay, finally, I did it! The title for this story comes from the idea of certain crime organizations where, if you try to leave, they kill you, which I'm sure there's plenty of. I'm sure there's also people wondering why I decided to make Giovanni Ash's uncle instead of his father, and that's just because I'm using the Silver character (who's going by a different name, here) and don't want to have this whole long thing about why they'd be brothers and don't know each other. Mostly because that would be annoying to do and I'm lazy. **

**Either way, please review, I'm always looking for feedback. And knowing people actually read my stories can help keep me motivated, if you want more chapters. **

**Seriously, the button's right down there.  
**


	2. The Boat of No Return

He was three prizes down. His hand was horrible. Gary had a fucking _blastoise_. There was absolutely no way Ash could come out of this on top. He frowned and clicked his tongue as he thought, staring intently at his cards. It was such a shame the destiny draw only worked on TV.

Pikachu had woken him early that morning by tugging on his hair and pillow, "chu"ing to let him know breakfast was ready. After he'd eaten, Ash had gotten dressed and taken his bike to the hospital, where he found Gary boredly flicking through a binder full of old pokemon cards. He was due to go home in the afternoon, but since there were still several hours before then, the two decided that, for the hell of it, they'd play the game to pass the time. Ash had gone out and purchased twenty booster packs, and the two friends had proceeded to select cards and build their decks, draft-tournament style. He was now losing to Gary's water-type deck, his own fighting deck barely leaving a scratch.

"Hmm..." Pikachu's ear twitched, and he and Umbreon watched the game intensely. "Okay... uhm... fighting energy to riolu... and I evo machop to machoke. Riolu uses Force Palm, twenty damage, and if I get heads, you're paralyzed." He flipped his coin (an old aluminum pikachu coin) and swore when it landed on tails. Gary laughed.

"You're so bad at this, Ash!" he replied. "Okay, Blastoise down twenty health, but I play Prof. Elm's Training Method." He searched through his deck. "Here's my ampharos." He flashed a PokeBody ampharos and stuck it in his hand before shuffling his deck. "Now I evolve my flaafy, attach a water energy to Lanturn, and use Blastoise's Hyper Whirlpool for eighty, which means your riolu's so dead it's not even funny." He drew a prize card smugly as Ash sneered and discarded his poor little riolu. "Your turn, Ashy-boy." Ash didn't reply and drew a card.

It was a lucario.

"Mew _dammit_ where was this last turn?!" he growled. "Fuck it! Fighting energy to machoke, I attack with Strength, you take sixty."

"Not enough to knock out blastoise, I'm afraid." Gary placed the damage counters onto blastoise. "Hyper Whirlpool, again, but since it won't kill you this time, I'm flipping to discard your energies." He flipped his own coin (it was a newer plastic one that displayed an eevee on the front), and as luck would have it, scored three heads, which was exactly the number of energies attached to machoke.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me!" Ash groaned as he discarded the energies. "Dammiiiiit. Alright, if I don't get an energy this turn, you win, okay?"

"Fine by me." Ash drew a card and whined.

"Mew damn Potion! Like that's gonna help me!" Gary laughed again.

"Good game, Ash," he said, putting his deck back in order. Ash rolled his eyes and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face.

"You too, Gar," he replied. "Is it still hurting?" Gary shrugged.

"Eh. I can't complain, it's not nearly as bad as last night, and they're probably gonna come back and hop me up on pain killers, again." Ash snorted and pushed his cards into a ziplock to take home. "So you're really gonna spy on Team Rocket, huh?"

"Yeah." He smirked wryly. "I couldn't say no, your grampa asked me to do it for your sake."

"I'm flattered!" Gary grinned broadly as he scooped up his cards. "Any idea how you're gonna do it? I mean, it's not like when our parents were kids, when they had the whole Nugget Bridge scam set up." Ash shrugged noncommittally.

"Officer Jenny stopped by my house this morning, with a note from Jessie and James- they said to stalk the back alleys of Celadon," he replied. "Mom's not entirely happy about this, but at the same time, she kinda wants me to." He glanced down at Pikachu, who smiled and "chu"ed reassuringly. "I'm setting out after lunch." Gary frowned thoughtfully and peered out the window.

"I hear the Rockets in Celadon are pretty vicious," he admitted. "I think I'd be scared to go. ...Are _you_?"

"The great Gary Oak, scared? What's this world coming to?" Ash teased. "I guess it's a little scary, but I'm gonna have Pikachu with me, so what could possibly go wrong, right?" Gary laughed.

"Yeah, if there's one thing that little rat has going for it, it's that its special attack is off the charts." He reached out to clasp hands with Ash, both of the boys attempting to crush each other's hand as they stared each other down for a moment. "Just stay safe, alright?"

"You know me, Gary. I'll do something stupid, get myself killed, come back to life, and save the day."

* * *

Celadon was bustling as always, and though Ash was currently lost in the crowd, he felt more alone than he ever had, before- thankfully, Pikachu was with him, and the experience wasn't as terrifying as he originally thought it would be. When he'd finally left Pallet with the help of one of Oak's Psychic-types, Officer Jenny had accompanied him and debriefed him on his duties as a spy. He was to join Team Rocket, as they had previously discussed, and make friends with someone who was in on the experiments Jessie and James had spoken of. Twice a month he was supposed to get away on his own and call Red or Oak to update them on his progress. Simple enough.

The alleyways of Celadon were places Ash had never really taken the time to explore, before. They were dark and dirty, the walls covered in graffiti, and he couldn't begin to fathom why _anyone_ would want to do business in such a dump. Then again, he mused, this was Team Rocket they were talking about. Pikachu was perched on Ash's shoulder, as always, glancing around and watching his trainer's back. The yellow mouse had successfully spotted several pickpockets and saved Ash from losing all of his money at least three times, if not more. Neither of them remembered Celadon being so damn cut-throat.

"This is frustrating," Ash sighed as they passed through another empty alley. "We've been searching for thirty minutes, now, and not a single Mew-damn Rocket."

"Pika," Pikachu agreed. "Pi, chupi pika kachu, Pikapi?"

"No," the hatted trainer sighed, "no, I don't think shouting about pokemon battles would help." Pikachu shrugged- that was really all he had, it seemed. As they passed another alleyway, Ash peered down, and stopped in his tracks. "Hey, those guys look shady." There were three of them hanging around near a dumpster, two of them smoking. They were talking and laughing about something- Ash assumed it was some sort of illicit activity they had recently undertaken. "Let's ask them." Pikachu frowned and lowered himself, his ears drooping. He let out a mildly concerned "pika..." as Ash approached the shady characters.

"...and _that's_ how I got him to believe my exeggutor was a ditto over the GTS!" one of them was saying. The other two laughed hysterically, one of them nearly dropping his cigarette as he leaned against the wall to stabilize himself. Ash braced himself and took a few more steps forward.

"Hey!" he called. The three before him immediately halted in their merry-making and turned, staring at him with vague interest.

"What?" the guy telling the story replied, raising one eyebrow. Ash swallowed hard and took a deep breath. This was it.

"I'm looking for Team Rocket," he said slowly. "I hear they recruit around here." The alleyway buddies' expressions changed, first from puzzled, then to shocked, and their leader's, finally, to disgust.

"Get the fuck out of here, you sick bastard!" he growled. When Ash didn't move, his eyes narrowed. "Go on! Get, or I'll sick my hypno on you, I swear to Mew!" Ash blinked. This was definitely an odd turn of events. He stared at the trio for a moment, highly confused- they certainly _looked_ like the type to join Team Rocket, what with the tattoos and the swearing and the stand-offish demeanor... In fact, Ash was uncomfortable just looking at them. For all he knew, they were waiting for him to turn his back before they knocked him out and stole all of his stuff.

"You're... I mean, you're not...?" He blinked again. "You _look like _you'd be..." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I guess? But if you know where they like to hang out, I'll get out of your hair..."

"Did you not hear me the first time?!" the guy snarled. "_Get. The fuck. OUT OF HERE!_" He threw a pokeball to the ground, and Ash watched on, slightly surprised, as a viscous-looking hypno materialized in a beam of red light.

"Hypno..." The psychic-type leered at the duo, holding its pendulum out in anticipation.

"Hypno, use Psybeam!" the alley-dwelling trainer ordered. Hypno's eyes glowed as he focused his mental power through the pendulum, shooting a beam of multi-colored energy towards Ash and Pikachu. Ash swore as he leaped to the side to dodge.

"Pikachu, Electro Ball, and charge it!" he called. Pikachu smirked and leaped off of Ash's shoulder, firing off an Electro Ball at Hypno; however, as it was flying towards the psychic-type, Pikachu let loose a second attack- a Thunderbolt. The extra electricity charged the Electro Ball, and Ash watched on as the giant sphere of electricity slammed into the poor hypno, knocking it back into it's trainer. It didn't seem to knock it out, however- it was slowly trying to push itself back to its feet. "Finish it off, Pikachu! Thunder!" Pikachu nodded and placed his feet firmly on the ground, cheeks sparking as he charged.

"Pi_kaaaaaa_... _CHUUUUUUUUU!_" The electricity leaped from Pikachu's tail, crackling as it hit the hypno and its trainer under it. The two yelled in unison before Hypno fainted; his master, however, was still awake, and spasming as the currents tore through his body. His friends, as well as Ash, watched, wide-eyed, as slowly, he stopped moving, his eyelids drooping closed. Pikachu opened his eyes once his attack was finished and turned tail, leaping back towards Ash. "Pikapi!" Ash caught him and hugged him close, though he could feel himself trembling a bit.

"P-Pikachu...," he whispered, "I... I think we... made a mistake..."

"You sunova bitch!" one of the guy's friends snarled. "What the hell?!"

"Looks like he's aimin' to be onna them Rocket assassins," the other sneered. "C'mon, let's get out of here, we need to get Ed to a hospital!"

"We won't forget this!" the first yelled over his shoulder as they carried their friend off. Pikachu nuzzled Ash's cheek.

"Pikapi, pi_ka_...," he murmured. Ash pet him quietly.

"...You think... he's gonna be okay...?" he whispered. Pikachu nodded.

"Pika_chu_." Ash was about to reply when Pikachu suddenly stiffened, ears perking up and eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Pikachu, what's wrong?" At first, there was no answer; then, there was the sound of clapping, slow and measured, from behind them. Ash spun around quickly, only to be met with a gang of trainers all wearing the same black, long-sleeved uniforms- there were at least five of them. Four of them were wearing hats that cast dark shadows over their faces. The one at the front, however, was a man Ash was more acquainted with than he wanted to be.

"Well, well," came the chain-smoker's smug voice, "that was quite the performance there, kid."

"Botch!" he cried. "Wh-what- you _saw_ that?!" The greenette scowled.

"It's _Butch_, twerp!" he sneered, "and you might wanna watch your tongue!" Pikachu growled as his cheeks began sparking. Butch spared the electric-type a glance and snorted. "Still carryin' around that li'l thing? Thought you'd have evolved it by now."

"You're not taking my pokemon!" Ash replied, shifting backwards to run; he wasn't stupid, after all. Five on one? He'd be down and out before he could say 'I surrender'. However, to his immense surprise, Butch simply laughed, eliciting snickers from the group behind him.

"Who said anything about takin' your pokemon, twerp?" he replied. "Nah, I'm here for somethin' else." He leaned back against the wall and dug a box of cigarettes out of his pocket, lighting up with a muttered "ember". He then paused and held the box out, offering Ash one. When the young trainer didn't budge an inch, Butch rolled his eyes and took a drag. "I heard through the grapevine that some plucky kid with a League hat was wanderin' the city, lookin' for Team Rocket. Imagine my surprise when my leads led me here, to you."

_Just one Thunder,_ Ash found himself thinking. _Just one Thunder from Pikachu and he'll be spazzing like that guy who attacked me._ He opened his mouth to order just that, and Pikachu's tail lifted skyward in anticipation. Butch merely raised an eyebrow. It took Ash a moment to remember what, exactly, he was supposed to do.

"...Yeah," he finally agreed quietly. "I guess it was a bit of a shock, huh? Bet you're wondering why a goody-two-shoes like me is looking for a bunch of rattata-bastards like you."

"Hey, who the hell you callin' a rattata-bastard, huh?!" one of the Grunt snapped. "I oughta kill you right now, punk!" Butch, on the other hand, laughed.

"Calm down, Steele," he laughed. "You got guts to say that to a pack of Rockets, kid. I like that." He pushed himself off the wall and brushed some dirt and crumblings off of his shoulders. "So, you lookin' to join, or you just tryin' to give us the smack-down?" Ash swallowed thickly. Oh, how he'd hoped to draw this out. Butch looked rather amused. "_Ooooh,_ look, gang, he's _nervous_."

"I am _not_!" Ash protested. "I... I just..." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and forced himself to breathe. Here it was. This was it- the moment of truth. Or, well, lies, as the case may be. "I'm sick of it. Sick and tired. I want it to end. I..." Oh, Mew, they were starting to look bored. "I'm tired of being weak." Ahh, there it was. That got Butch's attention, and very well, from the looks of it. The greenette smirked broadly, baring his eyeteeth, and that sickening Rocket pride shone brightly in his eyes.

"So you admit that whenever you fought us as a kid, you only won because Jessie and James...," he began.

"Were incompetent?" Ash finished for him. He nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I know."

"Good." Butch's smirk, if possible, broadened. "You're following me. As for the rest of you!" The gang of Rockets behind him snapped to attention. "Get back to work- I want a full six pokemon from each of you by the end of the day!" With a general chorus of "yes, sir!" the Rockets scattered, each going their separate ways as they hunted down trainers with pokemon worth stealing. Ash watched them go, petting Pikachu and thanking every Legendary he could think of that the situation had played out, in his eyes, rather well- of course, any situation in which he wasn't murdered was a situation well-played.

"What happens, now?" he asked as he and Butch watched the last of the grunts leave.

"Here," Butch replied, "take this." He fished into his pocket and withdrew a small slip of slick card-stock. Ash took it from him and peered at it curiously. It was a ticket of some sort, and where it would have displayed a destination, it displayed only a string of numbers and letters. The date was set for the next day, at five in the morning.

"What's this for?" he asked, frowning. "I wouldn't imagine you guys would fly with the local airports." Butch snickered.

"Look, kid, just be at the Vermillion docks on time tomorrow and you'll find your way eventually, okay?" he said. "Now, here's the deal- don't bring any pokemon with you, they're just gonna take 'em from you and keep 'em until you finish basic. Pack, but pack light- you won't need much where you'll be staying. And when you're filling out the paperwork, just remember- it was ol' Butch that set you straight, alright?"

"Oh, uh... yeah, alright." Ash's frown deepened. "...Paperwork?" Okay, Butch's laugh was really starting to get on his nerves- and from the quiet way his friend was growling, Pikachu's as well.

"Yeah, paperwork," the Rocket replied. "They just gotta get ya in the systems and whatnot, it's not long. I guess I'll see you around, kid!" Just as quickly as he had appeared, Butch took off, and Ash quickly lost sight of him. Not that he was going to look for him, of course, no- he didn't want much to do with Butch, truth be told. He peered back down at the ticket in his hand and then glanced up at Pikachu.

"You know who we gotta talk to, don't you?" he asked. Pikachu frowned.

"Pika!" he replied. "Pipi-kachu, Pikapi, pi chu pi_ka_ chu chu-pi!"

"Hey, they made camp with us for years, Pikachu." He petted Pikachu's head. Pikachu pouted, and he himself laughed, navigating his way out of the alley and to somewhere he could teleport home.

* * *

"You ran into _Butch_?" James' nose wrinkled in mild disgust as he asked, his green eyes weary. He was seated on a couch with both Meowth and Jessie in the safe-house provided to them by the League. It was spacious enough for the trio, about the size of the common town house, and until Team Rocket stopped looking for them, it was where they were going to stay for a long time. Ash, himself, was seated in an old, squashy armchair facing the couch at a slight angle, with Pikachu resting comfortably on his lap. As soon as he had arrived, Jessie had invited him in while James made coffee for everyone, and the already half-drank mugs were left, mostly cool, on the coffee table between them.

"I thought he'd be in jail for good, by now," Jessie deadpanned, resting her cheek on her hand. "He never seemed to be the bright type."

"Actually, dat basta'd was a lot sma'ta dan you guys gave 'im credit for," Meowth piped up. "Last I hoid, he was studyin' for da Exec exams."

"Team Rocket has _exams_?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "What the _hell_."

"Ooooh, you ruined it, Meowth." James sighed melodramatically. "Now he knows _all_ our secrets. Yeah, exams. There's four exams, and out of them, one is mandatory, one is if you actually want to get anywhere in life, and two you're probably never going to see ever." Ash frowned and opened his mouth to ask just what these exams were, when Jessie cut him off.

"Hey, what was that ticket you mentioned?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that..." He fished in his pocket for a moment and withdrew the ticket, handing it over to Jessie, who in turn held it out for both James and Meowth to see.

"Oh, wow!" she said after a moment of examining it. "You get to take one of the cruisers to base! I've never gotten to ride with the Sea Division before- I'm kind of jealous."

"I forgot the old base got wasted," James mused. "I guess they moved the newbie training over to the island, huh?"

"Old base? What old base?"

"When Jess and I started our newbie training, the main base was still just outside of Celadon," came the bluenette's reply. "Viper was in charge of our platoon- remember how pissed he always was with us?"

"Haha, and we still came out top of our class in the exams," Jessie laughed. "You know, I kind of miss it all... Too bad we can't go back with you, Twerp. The GR Island really is a nice place to live."

"I... don't quite..." Ash's frown deepened. "...GR Island?"

"Great Rocket Island," Meowth explained. "It's what everyone calls da island da main base in on. Boss is loaded- he's got so many islands in da area slotted for private use dat da cops don't even know dere's a base dere!"

"If your boss is so loaded, how come you guys were always broke?" Ash smirked lazily as the trio immediately fixed him with near identical glares.

"Boss was stingy as hell," James sighed after a moment. "And to top it off, our bonuses... well... ...You know, I'll let that one be a surprise." Something dinged in the kitchen, and he quickly excused himself, saying something about cookies as he left to tend to them. The others watched him go, and it was a few moments before someone spoke.

"Ya know, Pikachu's been pretty quiet," Meowth said slowly. "Is ev'ryting okay?" Pikachu scowled and turned his gaze away from the rest of the group. Ash smiled and scratched behind his ears.

"Yeah," he replied, "he's just a little upset because I'm going to have to leave him home. It's not gonna be easy for me, either, buddy, but that's no reason not to talk to our friends." Pikachu huffed and turned even further away, sticking his nose into the air almost snobbishly.

"Yeah, they take your pokemon from you until you graduate." Jessie took advantage of James' temporary absence to stretch out along the couch. "From what I hear, they get to have their own rookie training, and they always come back changed pretty bad."

"Why don't we see if Marty can take care of Pikachu?" James asked as he returned, setting a plate of warm, gooey cookies on the coffee table before sitting on the floor in front of the couch. "He still owes us one for that time in Blackthorn."

"Oh, please, Boss' word is law to him, you know that, James..."

"He's pretty reliable, though. Look, Ash, when you get there, just ask to talk to Marty and mention our names, okay? He'll keep Pikachu safe."

"It's a terrible idea..." Ash smiled as he watched them bicker. They may have given him grief for years, but to be honest, they made pretty good friends. That, and James made the BEST chocolate chip cookies- even better than his own mother's, or even Brock's, in fact. As he took a bite of one, he glanced at his watch, and frowned a little.

"Hey, Pikachu, grab a cookie, it's time." He glanced back up at Jessie and James and smiled. "I have to go home and pack. I'm guessing the island isn't too far away, so I'll bring enough clothes for a few days... I'll be calling to check in next month, so you probably won't hear from me until then."

"Be careful, Twerp," Jessie replied. "I don't know what we'd do if you got lost to the Dark Side."

"Oh, don't worry, Jess, I'm sure he'll be fine." James grinned. "After all, you're a decent battler, Twerp- you'll probably end up doing field work, like we did."

"Jus' make sure ya don' talk ta da wrong people, okay?" Meowth added. "Try not ta let yer gua'd down!"

"I'll try, guys." Ash waited for Pikachu to climb up onto his shoulder and stood; the trio stood as well, following him to the front door. "See you guys around. Gonna say 'goodbye', Pikachu?" Pikachu simply pouted and glared at the wall.

"Poor little guy." James petted Pikachu's head. "Don't worry, Pikachu. Everything's gonna be okay." Pikachu pouted for a moment longer before giving the trio a small smile and bidding them farewell with a quiet "pika...". With one last wave, Ash and Pikachu hopped onto Pidgeot's back (the flying-type had taken the day off from hanging with its flock to give its old trainer a ride) and returned to Pallet Town to prepare for their new journey.

* * *

Five was _way_ too fucking early to be catching a ride on a boat. Ash had gotten up at three just to get ready- eating, showering, ignoring Red to piss him off, getting yelled at by his mother for pissing off Red- and had gotten a ride from Prof. Oak and one of his Kadabra to Vermilion, where the elderly scientist wished him luck and gave him some melon bread for the trip before returning to Pallet. He was now making his way towards the port from the PokeCenter. Pikachu was clinging tightly to his shoulder, despite being half-asleep, and Ash was prepared to carry him if the electric mouse fell asleep.

Vermilion was very dark; even the lighthouse was off, and the streets were nearly pitch-black. Occasionally, Ash thought he saw or heard others walking near him, but it seemed to be only products of his imagination. Idly, he wondered if the entire thing was a set-up. Nevertheless, he continued on, never stopping, even when he passed the Gym and was flooded with feelings of intense nostalgia. Seven years ago, there was every possibility that Pikachu could have evolved to fight Lt. Surge's raichu; Ash was glad he hadn't. He wasn't quite sure if he could handle walking to his doom without Pikachu on his shoulder.

The port was almost as dark as the rest of the town, though the light of the stars seemed to brighten it somewhat. Ash was able to make out the shapes of many people standing around, silent as unmoving as they watched the distant horizon. He took a deep breath and paused. This was it- the end of being a League Trainer, and the beginning of his dive into something far more sinister. His hand tightened on his backpack's straps.

"_Pikapi_." Ash turned his head. Pikachu was staring intently at him. Slowly, the little rodent held out his paw. Ash stared back at him for a moment before, with a small smile, reaching up to gently take it into his own hand. Pikachu smiled back, and Ash nodded. They would be fine, as long as they stuck together. He needed no more encouragement; he made his way forward into the large, loose group of people and joined them in their wait. Some of them eyed him and Pikachu curiously; Ash eyed them right back. It was difficult to make out any of their actual features, but many of them seemed to be wearing the Team Rocket uniform, and others seemed to be dressed plainly, like everyday trainers Ash would see walking down the street.

They were silent for what seemed like centuries; it didn't seem like anything was going to happen anytime soon. Ash frequently checked his watch; it was getting rather close to five, now. Surely something would be happening. He was just starting to debate eating his melon bread when something finally happened.

"...They're here." The statement came from one of the uniformed Rockets, but needn't have been made. The sound of the approaching boat was unmistakable, and a the group stirred into a quiet buzz. The ferry soon made port. It was pretty big, Ash mused as he watched it. Definitely large enough to fit everyone inside of it, and with room to spare, at that.

As soon as the ferry docked, everyone had formed a neat, orderly line; Ash managed to get in near the front, though a couple of the uniformed Rockets had shoved passed him (rather rudely, in fact). They flashed some sort of ID card as they entered the ship, allowing the line to move quickly. The ticket master barely glanced at Ash's ticket before he, too, was allowed on, leaving the young trainer to wonder how no one had managed to infiltrate Team Rocket successfully, before. Their security seemed kinda lax. Nevertheless, he didn't think too much about it and pressed onwards, carefully descending the steps into the passenger area. It was in no way grand- in fact, it looked merely as if the cargo hold of the ship had been gutted to make room for the passengers. Ash glanced at Pikachu and frowned before claiming a corner to sit in. The metal flooring was not at all comfortable, but thankfully he had thought to brought a couple blankets, and had Pikachu assist in making the two of them a little nest. Before long, the ferry lurched and pulled back out into the ocean.

The lighting was dim, but now that he had successfully boarded and remained alive, Ash was able to keep himself calm and look around at his boat-mates. There seemed to be at least sixty others with him, and most of them found a group to huddle with. The ones who remained by themselves didn't look like they'd make for very good conversation, either- in fact, they looked downright mean, so Ash didn't want to go anywhere near them. On the other hand, he wasn't sure how to join a pre-existing group, so, as far as friends went, he would have absolutely none for the ride (not counting Pikachu, of course). The ones dressed like normal people- others looking to join Team Rocket, no doubt- seemed to integrate into the Rocket groups easily. Ash frowned at that. He'd have to try and learn their secrets later.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu suddenly exclaimed.

"Hm?" Ash turned his gaze to Pikachu, who pointed, and following his motions, Ash came face-to-face with a young man, possibly in his twenties, who was smiling down at him. His hair was black and a little messy, his skin pale and his eyes a cool jade. He wore simply a pair of slacks and a red t-shirt, and carried no bag.

"Hey, there," he greeted. "Sorry, mind if I join you?" Slowly, Ash shook his head, and the young man's smile broadened into a grin as he plopped down and leaned back against the wall next to him. "My name's Yamatto. I have a friend with a similar name, though, so most people around here call me Matt."

"Uhm... hey..." Ash shifted awkwardly. "...I'm Ash. Nice to meet you...?"

"Nah, man, pleasure's all mine!" Matt popped the top off a bottle that Ash hadn't noticed he had and took a swig. "Ahhh... I gotta say, taking the boat is _way_ more fun when you're hammered than when you're sober. Want one?" He held up a carton containing five more bottles of whatever alcoholic beverage he was drinking. Ash couldn't help but stare for a second.

"I... no, sorry, I... I'm underage..." Matt shrugged and set the carton back down, taking another large swig from his drink. "So I'm taking you've done this before, then?" He nodded as he swallowed.

"Yeah, a few times. Usually I catch a ride back with my squad, but I was doing some solo hunting this time- oh, you're new here, aren't you?" If possible, his grin broadened. "Ahhh, yeah, you have that lost, frightened look! Hey, kid, don't worry, the registration process is easy as hell, and basic training's not as bad as they make it out to be." He continued to ramble on about how it only hurt for the first month or so and how probably nothing Ash had heard about basic was true. Ash, for his part, barely listened to what the man was saying. Rather his mind was in a constant frenzy of alerting him that he was now going to be stuck with a drunkard for the rest of the trip and would probably vomited on at some point. Mew damn Rockets.

"Matt- _Matt_! You're not giving the poor newb a hard time, are you?" Matt paused mid-rant and waved enthusiastically at one of the loners Ash had earlier pegged as one of the mean, unapproachable ones. He was tall and toned, wearing some odd version of the Rocket uniform that Ash hadn't seen before. His hair was wavy and swampy green, and reached as far down as his chin, blending in with his short beard. His eyes were a demonic red, and he had a crescent-shaped scar under one eye. The man sat down next to them cross-legged, resting his chin on his palm almost boredly.

"Nah, he's a good kid!" Matt grabbed Ash into a headlock and proceeded to noogie him obnoxiously. "Look, see? He's fine!"

"Ohhh, you're drunk, aren't you?"

"Whaaaaat? Nah, man, it's all-" What is was, the world would never know, as Pikachu was getting a little bit upset that Matt wouldn't leave his trainer alone. With a frustrated "pika..._chuuuuu_!" he let loose a fierce thunderbolt, forcing the drunk Rocket to let go of Ash as he spasmed. Ash scrambled back into his corner and grabbed Pikachu, holding him close. The newcomer didn't seem at all disturbed by the chain of events. He prodded at Matt with one foot and shrugged.

"Sorry about him, he drinks a lot. He probably went through an entire case already before we boarded." His eyes traveled to Ash, and he smirked. "Aw, don't let us scare you, kid. We don't pick on newbs often. Especially not me." He held out his hand. "Steve More, at your service. I'm Boss' second in command, and head of the Interrogation Department. You probably won't be seeing me for a long time during the workdays, so don't get your panties in a knot, alright?" After a moment to look him over and decide that, while he did look threatening, he probably wasn't going to kill him right away, Ash reached forward to shake his hand.

"Alright," he replied. "I'm Ash. I just got recruited yesterday. This is all... well... a little _new_." Steve snickered.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll warm up to it all soon enough," he replied. "Just keep your nose clean and don't get sent to the U, and you'll be fine." And, of course, nothing he was saying had any meaning to Ash whatsoever. Well, of course, there _was_ the mention of his job...

"So... Interrogation?" he asked after a moment. "What's that all about?" Steve grinned.

"What, interested?" he replied. "Or maybe hiding something?"

"No, of course not!" Ash laughed along with him, even though he immediately felt a little queasy at the accusation. Or maybe he was just getting seasick. Maybe even both. "I just keep hearing about all these different departments, but it's pretty mind-boggling to me."

"Yeah, a lot of outsiders feel that way when they first join up," the greenette agreed. "Well, my department handles both the extraction of information from our prisoners and the disciplining of the Team members. It's pretty neat, we have nine levels of dungeons for all that, and it gets worse the farther down you go. The top execs are on the bottom floor, and we each get our own dungeon for it. You should come down sometime, if you're interested, I'll show you my medieval torture collection- the only piece I'm missing is a heretic's fork, but I've got a guy who's gonna set me up for cheap." Well, at least Ash knew how he was probably gonna die, now. He made a mental note to stay as far away from the interrogation dungeons as possible.

"Sounds like fun," he managed to say, forcing himself to smile. "I might have to take you up on that."

"Aha! Sounds like we may be making an interrogator out of you yet, kid! So, tell me, anything you're worried about with joining up?"

"Well, I have heard a few rumors about the cliques that band together from some friends of mine..." With that simple change in subject, As felt as though a disaster had been completely avoided, and that, at least for a while, he was safe. Pikachu remained in his arms as he continued to chat with Steve during the trip, and Matt remained passed out on the floor. Surprisingly, though, this leading member of Team Rocket (and possible sadist) was easy to get along with and even easier to talk to. Maybe, Ash mused, he could get Steve onto his side- some others, too, even. And even if it never got to the point where he could out himself to them as a spy, having friends in high places could never hurt.

You know... maybe his dad was right. Maybe he _would_ make a good spy. With that simple thought, he allowed himself to relax, sit back, and enjoy what last moments of freedom he had, because according to Steve, basic training was _hell._

* * *

**AN: There, second chapter. Quick, choppy, still sort of intro. The exciting stuff won't be coming for a little bit, but, hey, next time, Ash arrives at GR Island, fills out paperwork, gets a place to stay, and may meet important recurring characters or get to do some basic training! So, if you're itnerested for whatever reason, please review so I know to keep working!**


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